It ’s an immutable law of comedy — under no consideration may a comic use another performer ’s stuff . by nature , with so many comics do observations about the world around them , similarities are bound to exist between one guy ’s airplane food for thought joke and another ’s . Allegations of joke lifting are common , with top - grade talent likeConan O’BrienandAmy Schumeroften having charge thrown their path ( Schumer , for her part , vehemently denies any thievery ) . But throughout standup ’s chronicle , some similarities have been too tight to ignore .
1. Milton Berle
The late , outstanding star of degree , screenland , radio and TV was once the nation ’s most democratic comedian , realize him a 30 - yr goggle box declaration with NBC and the endearing nickname Uncle Miltie .
But to many of his fellow performing artist , Berle became known by the much less warm byname " The Thief of Bad Gag" for his legendary predilection for joke lifting . Fellow fable and casual foe Bob Hope once remark that Berle " never heard a joke he did n’t steal . " In another example , Jack Benny defended his own drill of using Berle ’s stuff by saying : " When you take a jocularity away from Milton Berle , it ’s not stealing , it ’s reclaim . "
Unlike many other accuse bit - thief , Berle never went out of his way to disperse the repute , once jest to Larry King : " I do n’t steal people ’s jokes . I just find them before they ’re lost . “
2. Carlos Mencia
The former whizz of Comedy Central’sMind of Menciahas been accused of plagiarism by everyone from George Lopez — who once claimed he roughed - up Mencia over a purportedly stolen set — toSouth Park . However , the most celebrated illustration was deal with the populace thanks to aviral videoposted by comic Joe Rogan . In the footage , Rogan is shown running onstage to confront Mencia during a 2007 execution at the Comedy Store in L.A. Among other , more colorful name calling , Rogan refers to Mencia as " Men - Steal - ia . “
3. Dane Cook
Dane Cook reach the tiptop of stand - up comedy success in 2005 when his albumRetaliationwent all the way to # 4 on theBillboardchart . Sold - out large - arena gigs , movie flops , and tabloid reporting cursorily followed — and all attend to fire a rabid anti - Dane movement within the comedy world . With that come an acute microscope on Cook ’s fabric and , predictably , a rash of joke swiping charges . The most well - known example includes a Cook bit that bears a mistrustful resemblance to an earlier one by Louis C.K.—one of the most august comedian work today . Althoughcompilations seem to confirmthat Cook has used at least three of his bits , Louis C.K. has mostly downplay it—“I’m not go to do anything about this . I ’m not going to court over a bit shout ' Itchy A**hole,'“ he once joked . Just for good measure and consistency , Joe Rogan hasalso accusedCook of lifting laugh .
4. Robin Williams
Long before he was an Oscar winner , Robin Williams was known to comic as a major material thief . He was even say to have used other comedians ' fabric on Johnny Carson’sTonight Show . One well - traveled anecdote exact that when fellow comedian spotted Williams in the audience of a comedy club , they would immediately intercept their act to prevent him from compose down their best caper . According to Richard Zoglin ’s bookComedy at the Edge , David Brenner once asked Williams ' agent to " Tell Robin if he ever takes one more line from me , I ’ll rip his leg off and shove it up his [ bleep ] ! " Williams discourse his younger days in clowning and of not understanding the consequences of adopt materialwith Marc Maronin 2010 ; he once playfully refer to the practice as " antic sample distribution . “
5. Jay Mohr
The former host ofLast Comic Standingis an admitted drollery plagiarist . In his 2004 bookGasping For Airtime , which recounts his tumultuous two - season stint onSaturday Night Live , Mohr details an infamous incident in which he took a New York comic ’s put-on andturned it into a sketch . NBC was forced to settle withthe jest ’s originator , but Mohr himself escaped any serious repercussions .
6. Denis Leary
The former star ofRescue Mehas been accuse of stealing not only some material but hisentirestage persona from the late cult funny Bill Hicks . He ’s also been accused of lifting fabric from former rack - up and Hollywood heavyweightJudd ApatowandLouis C.K.But Hicks himself , who was snug friends with Leary , severed his friendly relationship with him over the bit oflifted joke usedon Leary’sNo Cure for Canceralbum . " I have a exclusive for you . I stole his act,“Hicks jest withAustin Comedy Newsin 1993 . " I camouflaged it with punchlines , and to really bewilder masses off , I did it before he did . " hayseed passed away from Cancer the Crab the following yr .
This patch originally ran in 2010 .
